Hockey Widow wrote:So what do you do if your are the Avs? Simple. You call the teams that have first dibs on ROR. You say simply if we don't match you get first crack. So lets say its Columbus. You say OK, if we don't match you will pick ROR up for free on waivers. So what will you trade us for a 4th round pick. You make a trade for a good roster player or prospect/pick or combination with Columbus.

Once that deal is done, you don't match. ROR is a Flame but now must clear waivers. Columbus takes him and all they gave up was whatever they gave the Avs, who now have Calgary's 2 and 3rd and whatever they got from Columbus for their 4th round pick.

You get good assets back and you get to screw the Flames and ROR who now has to stick it out in Columbus for at lest two years.

But if you are the Avs you do this with all teams picking up waiver player before your pick. That way you assure yourself you get something. If not, the waiver pick comes to you and you grab him back.

What else would be nice if the Avs worked that scenario is that Calgary would have to pay the 2.5 signing bonus and it counts towards their cap this year thereby burning 2.5 cap space for future deals.

The more I think about the more I like it. Dubinsky , prospect and a 2nd for the Avs 4th? Why not.

Topper wrote:There are already news releases on the official Avalanche site saying they are matching and a synopsis of Sherman's news conference.

I doubt they are back tracking.........but if they do...........DANCING BANANAS

I'm hearing that both the Flames and the Avs are asking for an official ruling from the NHL since there seems to be some discrepancy about the rule. Calgary has come out and said they disagree with Daley's comments and do not think ROR has to clear waivers. The Avs want clarification because if he does have to clear waivers they may be able to parlay him into more than Calgary's 1st and 3rd.

Avs said at the beginning they would match then this story about waivers broke. I still think they match but if I were them I'd be looking to see if I could do a deal first with Columbus. The problem is the salary may be too high for their liking.

I don't think anyone has pointed this out yet, but we can just all laugh at the irony of the situation? The Flames front office spent all their brain juices coming up with ways to structure the deal to deter the Avs from matching, only to find out that Sherman ended up saving Feaster's job (inadvertently, I think) by matching.

It just doesn't get any better in the Northwest. The drama always tends to be upstairs, never on-ice.